Game apparatus



F. O. DEGENHARDT GAME APPARATUS Sept. 2. 1924. i,5o'7,343

Filed Feb. 15, 1922 2 Shasta-Sinai 1 MIM Sept. 2. 1924. 1,507,343

F. O. DEGENHARDT GMIE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15 1922 2 Sheets-Sh. 2 .3

Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRANK O. DEGENHARDT, 0F BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO GEORGE BOEOHIER, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application flied February 15, race. Sex-1a.] No. 536,655.

To all whom it my omwer-n Be it known that I, FRANK O. Dracusmner, a.citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn.county of Kings, city and State of New York. have invented anImprovement in Game Apparw tus, of which the following is aspecification.

This inrention relates to a game apparatus and as designed is intendedfor use in playing baseball in doors or in it relatively small space outof doors. but the invention is in no Wise limited to a baseball gums asthe apparatus may be designed for similarly playing foot ball or any oneof a number of other games or sports. In carrying out the invention Ipreferably employ a stand made in the form of :1 player and adapted tobe placed against a. Wall or fence or otherwise supported in playingtliegeuie. The frame is provided with a suitable aperture and throughthis aperture each particular play as made is designated so that thesome may be recorded in keeping the score in the usual mannerirrespective of the particular kind of game that is being played. Thegame furtheruwre played with a ball or similar object which is thrownagainst the stand and used to strike a pin or projection carried by thestand to operate suitable devices for actuating the indicator to makethe same appear in the slot to which reference has hereinbefore beenmade. For example in playing baseball the frame is supplied with aplurality of pins or projections each in tended to designate aparticular play in the game and when any pin or projection is struck bya hall or other device thrown at the frame the mechanism is operated tocause the indicator to appear behind the slot in order that the play maybe seen and recorded. Suitable devices are also employed for maintainingthe indicator in positionbehind the slot so that no mistake may be madein reading and recording the some :and also for releasing the indicatorin order that it may return or be returned to its normal inoperativeposition.

In the drawing:

F ig. 1 is a front elevation of the game apparatus made in accordancewith my present invention.

F ig. 2 is an edge or side elevation of the same.

line 6-6, Fig. 5, and

operating the indicator. Referring particularly to the drawing it willbe seen that in carrying out the invention I employ a stand 10 which maybe made of any suitable material and in any desired configuration.Inasmuch. however, as the present game is designed for use in playingbaseball the frame is so formed as to desigis a sectional plan of thesedevices perspective View illustrstiug note a baseball catcher 11 and anumpire l2,

the figures being placedone shove the other us clearly illustrated in Flg. 1." This stand in playing the game may be placed against a well whenthe game is played indoors or against a fence or supported by a suitablepost in the manner of an easel or otherwise when the game is played outof doors. In the upper portion of the stand preferably in a. positionindicating the mouth of the umpire there is a slot 13 through which ashereinafter described indicutorssre caused to appear designating eachparticulur play as the same is made.

Suitably attached to the rear of the frame or stand is a plate 14:which, be made an integral part of the stand if desirable. In this platethere is u plurality of projections ouch adopted to he struck by theball or other object employed in playing the game. As these projectionsere similar in all respects but one of them will hedescribod in detail.in predetermined positions the plate s ender with disks 151, lttpnes onthe outer and one on the inner side, thereof. These disks are secured totr sleeve 17 which passes through the plate and also through the standso as to project from the face thereof. In the sleeve 17 there is aplunger 18 having at its forward cud a plate or striking hcad 19, whilein the plunger 18 thcrc is a pin 20 ertcndinc' through a longitudinalslot 21 provided therefor in the sleeve 1?. The plunger 18 is normallyIii-aim tuined. in an inoperative position as shown in Fig. 4 by meansof a spring surrounding however, may l the sleeve 17 and plunger 18 andextending from the disk 16 to the innersurface of the head 19. The innerend of the plunger 18 is flattened as indicated at 23 and provided witha transversely extending slot 24.

Associated with each of the sleeves and plungers as hereinbeforedescribed and preferably located immediately above the same and securedto the plate 14. in any suitable manner is a post 25. Each post 25 isfitted with a collar 26 lying adjacent the inner surface of the plateand also with a collar 27 secured to the post adjacent the end thereofby a set screw 28 or otherwise. Together with each of these sets ofdevices I employ a rod 29 which may be made of wire or other suitablematerial and at one end 30 is passed through the slot 24 at the innerend of the corresponding plunger, a portion 31 of the rod 29 beingturned around the corresponding post 25 to form a support for the rodand the indicator 32 carried at the outer or upper end thereof. Asillustrated in Fig. 7 the indicator 32 carries the designation ball, itbeing understood that each of the several indicators employed carry asimilar designation, for instance, strike, foul, first base, secondbase. third base, home run, foul strike, and the like. as well as otherterms or plays employed in playing the game of baseball.

Extending from the inner face of the plate 14 there arestop posts 33, 34and 35. These are secured in the plate in any suitable manner and arepreferably arranged so as to be in alignment as indicated. Mounted onthese stop posts there are guides 36 suitably spaced from one another sothat the upper end of one of the rods 29 passes between each of theseveral guides to direct the course of the rod when being moved. ashereinafter described. I also employ a set of lock and release barsindicated at 37 and 38. At the forward portion of these lock and releasebars the same pass through an opening provided therefor in the plate 14and the extremity of the bar 37 is upturned as indicated at 39 while thecorresponding end of the bar 38 is turned down as indicated at 40 theaperture in the plate through which these bars pass being indicated at41. Adjacent the inner ends these lock and release. bars 37 and 38 passthrough and are journaled in a bearing provided therefor in a bracket 42which is suitably secured to the outer end of the stop post 34;. Thelock and release bars 47 and 38 are norn'ially held in positionrespectively by springs 43 and 4-4 which at corresponding ends aresecured to a screw or similar device set in the plate 41, while at.their opposite ends these springs 43 and 44 pass through the lock andrelease bars 37 and 38 so as to maintain the pin 46 in the bar 38 incontact with the bracket 42. and a pin 47 similarly secured in the bar38 in like manner against the bracket 4.2 which, as will be understood,

normally maintains these lock and release bars imposition.

On both the lock and release bars '37 and 38' there are laterallyextending hooks. Those extending from one side of the bar 38 areindicated at 48,, while those extending from the opposite side of thebar 38 are in dicated at 49. The hooks extending from one side of thebar 37 are indicated at 50 and those extending from the opposite sidethereof are indicated at 51. These books are so disposed relatively tothe hook and release bars that when the latter are in their normalpositions the hooks lie between the several guides 36 so that when anyrod 29 is moved from its normal position to bring the indicator behindthe slot in the stand the corresponding hook will engage the rod andmaintain the indicator in position so that the. same may be read throughthe slot in the stand in order to prevent an dispute as to the play andalso to enable the players to properly keep their score. Then upondepressing the lock and release bars against the action of the springswhich normally maintain the same in place the rod 29 will be freed andcaused by the action of the spring 22 to return to its normal position.moving the indicator from its place behind the slot in the stand inreturning the plunger to its normal position.

In the use of the apparatus. as hereinbefore described, any number ofplayers may constitute a team or side and be opposed by one. or moreteams or sides, each player in turn being permitted to throw minednumber of balls at the stand in attempts to spring the heads of theplungers; or each player may continue until he is either out. or makes arun as in playing baseball, other conditions, of course, being necessaryin the use of the apparatus for other games for which it may be designedfor play. As will now be understood when a player strikes the head of aplunger the same will be depressed or moved inwardly against the actionof its spring 22 thereby causing the flattened inner end of the plungerto move the inner or lower end 30 of the corresponding rod 29 wherebythe rod swings on its coiled portion and the upper end of the rod ismoved throwing the indicator behind the slot and locking and securingthe rod and indicator in position until the same are released, ashereinbefore described. i

The various plungers as indicated in the drawing may be employed todesignate the plays set out beneath each of the same and of course thecorresponding indicator carries the same designation, although as willbe understood these or different or other plays may be indicated. Stillfurthermore, and as hereinbefore stated, while I have shown anddescribed my invention as applia predeteriii cable to a baseball game itmay be so designed as to be employed as a foot ball or other gamewithout departing from the nature and spirit of my invention.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a game apparatus, a stand, a plungeiextending throu h the stand,an indicator, a rod to whic at one end the indicater is attached, asupport extending from the said stand and to which the said rod ispivotally connected to swing the indicator from an invisible to avisible osition, the opposite end of the rod extending through a slotprovided therefor in the inner end of the plunger, and means fornormally maintaining and returning the said plunger to its initialposition whereby in the movement of the plunger in one direction the rodis moved to swing the indicator from its invisible to its visibleposition and when the plunger is returned to its initial position therod is moved to swing the indicator from its visible to its invisibleposition.

2. In a game apparatus, a stand, a plunger extending through the stand,an indicator, a rod to which at one end the indicator is attached, asupport extending from the said stand and to which the said. rod isivotally connected to swing the indicator lrom an invisible to a visibleposition, the opposite end of the rod extending through a slot providedtherefor in the inner end of the plunger, means for normally maintainingand returning the said plunger to its initial position whereby in themovement of the plunger in one direction the rod is moved to swin theindicator from its invisible to its visible position and when theplunger is returned to its initial position the rod is moved to swingthe indicator from its visible to its invisible position, and a latchdevice for maintaining the indicator in its visible position.

3. In a game apparatus, a stand. a plunger extending through the stand,an indicator, a rod to which at one end the indicator is attached, a pinextending from the stand and around which a portion of the said rod iscoiled to support the same and the indicator carried thereby in anormally invisible position, the opposite end of the rod extendingthrough a transversely disposed slot in the inner end of the plunger,and means for normally maintaining and returning the plunger to aninitial position whereby when the plunger is moved in one direction therod is swung to move the indicator from its invisible to its visibleposition, and when the plunger is returned to its initial position therod is swung in the other direction to return the indicator to itsinitial invisible position.

-l. In a go me apparatus, a stand, a plunger extending through andmovable in the stand,

an indicator, there being an opening in the stand through which the saidindicator is visible when moved to a predetermined position, a rod towhich at one end the indicator is attached, and a pin about which aportion of the rod is bent and upon which the said rod is adapted toswing, the opposite end of the said rod being in direct engagement withthe said plunger whereby when the plunger is moved in one direction therod is actuated thereby to swing the indica tor from a normallyinvisible to a visible position behind the said opening in the stand andwhen the plunger is moved in the other direction the said rod isdircctly actuated thereby to swing the indicator from its visible to itsinvisible position.

5. In a game apparatus, a stand, a plunger extending through the stand,an indicator, a rod to which at one end the said indicator is attached,a pin extending from the said stand and around which a portion of thesaid rod is coiled to support the same and the indicator carried in anormally invisible position, the opposite end of the said rod extendingthrough a transversely disposed slot in the inner end of the plungerwhereby through the operation of the plunger the rod is actuated to movethe indicator from its invisible to a visible position, and means formaintaining the said indicator in its visible position and thenreleasing the same, permitting the rod and indicator to automaticallyreturn to their initial invisible position.

6. In a game apparatus, a stand, a plunger extending through the stand,an indicator, a rod to which at one end the said indicator is attached.a pin extending from the said stand and around which a ortion of thesaid rod is coiled to support. t 19 same and the indicator carried in anormally invisible position, the opposite end of the said rod extendingthrough a transversely disposed slot in the inner cud of the plungerwhereby through the operation of the plunger the rod is actuated to movethe indicator from its invisible to a visible position, means formaintaining the said indicator in its visible position and thenreleasing the same, permitting the rod and indicator to automatically return to their initial invisible position, and means for guiding the saidrod in the movement thereof.

7. In a game apparatus, a stand represent ing a player and having a slottherein, a plunger extending through the said stand, means for normallymaintaining the plunger in an initial position, an indicator, a rod towhich at one end the indicator is attached, a pin about which a portionof the said rod is coiled, while the opposite end of the said rod passesthrough a diagonally disposed slot in the inner end of the plunger, andmeans for retaining the rod and indicator in a position in which theindicator is visible through the slot and releasing the rod, permittingthe same andtheihdicator to return to their initial position;

8. In a game apparatus, a stand representing a player and having aslot-therein, a plunger extending through the said stand, means fornormally maintstining the plunger in an initial position, an indioetor,a rod to which at one end the indicator is attached, a pin about which aportion of the said rod is coiled, while the opposite end of the saiddicator in a position in which the indicator is Visible tilH'QHgIkthBSIOt and releasing the rod, permitting the some and the indicator toreturn to their initial position.

FRANK o. DEGENHARDT.

Signed by merthi s 11th day of Feb y 2n

